Resort Attractions

Diving under the ice of local Lac de Vonnes, 2850m above sea level, is a newly available activity from the village. Professionals from Aquaventure (+ 33 (0)6 07 14 95 39; aquaventure.fr), established in 1998, will fully supervise your descent down through a hole in the frozen lake's surface in to a silent world. Children aged eight years and older can take part and no experience is necessary, although those with diving skills can sign up for more challenging courses if they wish.

Shopping

Not a full-on shopping destination, Châtel does none-the-less have a small selection of gift shops among its 40+ stores - three quarters of which are ski shops or food retailers. There are several crafts and souvenir stores including Atelier de Théo (+33 (0)4 50 73 30 86; atelierdetheo.com) along with photographic stores, newsagents and book shops, hardware store, household decor shops and most essentrial services such as post office, banks, laundrette, chemist and so on.